Higher performance, smaller installation spaces and more demanding customers – these are the typical challenges facing automobile manufacturers. New hydraulic, flat and molded hoses from ContiTech Fluid Technology can help them handle these challenges.
The dynamically high-strength flat hoses are already in series production at Porsche, providing a very large volume increase at minimal pressures. They are also planned for use in BMW and Mercedes-Benz’s power steering systems. Their task is to absorb pressure and noise waves in very tight installation conditions.
“The hoses achieve this by changing from their original oval form to a round hose cross-section at just over 0 to 2 bar,” explains product developer Klaus Bruhne. This means that the hose gains about 30 percent volume, thereby reducing the pressure peak accordingly. Irregularities in the media flow that would lead to disturbing noise are also eliminated in this way. “We’ve completely redesigned the hose and optimized the material to meet the large forces in limit areas,” reports Bruhne.
The same principle is used by the high volume, molded hoses to optimize noise absorption in narrow installation spaces and reduce pressure peaks, features that are already being used in series production at BMW and Audi. Optimizing the polyamide tensile members has made the dynamically high-strength hoses particularly expansible, with their volume increasing during pressure peaks. In addition to applications in power steering, they are also used in gearbox oil cooling systems.
The hoses have now been integrated into the modular system of ContiTech Fluid Technology, in both their oval and round forms.
Other new products include the extra-high-pressure hydraulic hoses for temperatures upwards of 120°C and pressures above 180 bar. They are used in active vehicle control systems like those offered by DaimlerChrysler, BMW and PSA. “These systems are designed to compensate for body roll”, explains Bruhne. The high forces acting on the hoses require high compensating pressures.
Their high temperature resistance makes them ideal for the changed thermal conditions inside the engine compartment. “Engine compartments are becoming increasingly encapsulated to minimize aerodynamic drag and to house additional technology,” states Bruhne, explaining why temperatures there are constantly rising. The hose’s superb properties were achieved by employing optimized materials and processes.
For additional information, visit http://www.contitech.de/index_en.html.